Govt committed to ensuring success of bumiputera agenda

PARLIAMENT | The government is committed to ensuring the success of the bumiputera agenda through the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 and the 12th Malaysia Plan slated to be tabled early next year.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in a bid to empower the socio-economic development of the bumiputera community, the government has formed the Bumiputera Prosperity Council (MKB), which he chairs, besides having agreed to the Bumiputera Agenda Steering Unit (Teraju) becoming the main coordinating agency for all bumiputera socio-economic development agenda.

“Teraju will be the sole coordinator of the central bumiputera database across various ministries, agencies and government-linked companies (GLC). Besides, the bumiputera will also be given a double leap through the inculcation of entrepreneurship culture at various levels to turn them into an entrepreneurial community.

“The entrepreneurship culture will continue to be nurtured in an integrated manner through the roles of various agencies such as Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Berhad (PUNB), Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) and Tekun Nasional (Tekun), as well as bumiputera-mandated agencies,” he said during question time at the Dewan Rakyat sitting today.

The premier was replying to Mujahid Yusof Rawa (Harapan-Parit Buntar) who wanted to know the measures to improve the bumiputera economy especially when the number of unemployed bumiputera is increasing, without blaming other races.

Muhyiddin explained that for the second quarter of the year, the bumiputera unemployment rate was 5.2 percent compared to the national average of 5.1 percent, while the incidence of bumiputera poverty in 2019 was 7.2 percent compared to Chinese (1.4 percent) and Indian (4.8 per cent).

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin said the percentage of bumiputera equity was recorded at only about 16 percent and it was declining, which is worrying compared to previously reported percentage.

“Therefore, what matters most are the measures taken by the government and our commitment to do better than before,” he said.

"Through the MKB, the government will study and scrutinise bumiputera sectors that have lagged too far behind, and complete as well as integrate data collected by Teraju to allow more focused action,” he said in reply to Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (BN-Bagan Datuk) on the government’s efforts regarding bumiputera equity in listed and unlisted companies, and bumiputera trust agencies.

To a supplementary question from Hasan Arifin (BN-Rompin) on economic cooperation between bumiputera and non-bumiputera, Muhyiddin said he will focus on that in a framework which is currently being planned.

“It is one of the steps that we can take to combine the efforts and source of capital from the bumiputera and non-bumiputera in a genuine partnership, not by way of 'Ali Baba' and methods that are not in line with our policies,” he added.

- Bernama